I think Johny made a mistake taking the Condit fight. Although, IIRC, Condit got flash KO'd twice by Jake in their fight, he's got good recovery and can tangle anybody up in his guard while getting his senses back. Condit has the better gas tank, striking and BJJ, plus he's faster. Jake only had one threat: punching power.

Edit - I picked Jake over Nate, but I'm thinking Nate's a better and more powerful version of Kampmann so maybe it was a mistake . . . but Nate is taking the fight on short notice . . . that's a tough one.

I really hope Diaz puts GSP out. Diaz is my fav. and even though im quite sure he will just get out-wrestled to death, i will still root for himWAR DIAZ!!!!!!!!!The Condit/Hendricks fight is fun. But i would have much rather wanted to see Condit/MacDonald, w/e still a good fight. I think the winner of Ellenberger/Marquardt will fight MacDonald next. Which i hope will be ellenberger so he can shut Rory the f*ck up. The whole card isnt really"" besides the main 3 fights on the card tbh. I think they shoulda made the cardlike UFC 146 but with welterweights. Woulda been fun. Still its gonna be a fun night and a crazy week leading up to the fight. Cant wait; WAR DIAZ!

After watching Bendo & Cain use a similar blueprint, I'm sure we're going to see a less demonstrative version vs Nick. GSP will win a one sided decision, Nick will taunt and flip him off, and at the end we'll all say, "We waited 2 years for THAT?"

After watching Bendo & Cain use a similar blueprint, I'm sure we're going to see a less demonstrative version vs Nick. GSP will win a one sided decision, Nick will taunt and flip him off, and at the end we'll all say, "We waited 2 years for THAT?"

unfortunately this is probably exact;y what will happen! 5 round snuggie fest and Nick's BS afterwards!

"Stockton Motherf***er!". The king of talking crap and the Stockton Slap,Nick Diaz. Rarely does a fighter coming off a loss get the opportunity to fight for the title, but when the iron is still hot you should probably strike.

Sporting a record of 26-8,Nick Diaz brawls like no other. He uses his famous Diaz boxing to get the job done,mixing in pot shots with the weak to surprise his opponent. In 2009, Frank Shamrock criticized Diaz boxing from the pre-fight interviews to the body shot that dropped him to the mat. If you ask him about it today, he'll praise the style.

The Stockton Native has no fear or common sense, Relentlessly attacking Paul Daley in a 2011 Strikeforce bout turned boxing match. Diaz punched his way to a TKO after getting dropped earlier in the round. Fighters with the high level ground game that Diaz possesses would NEVER stand with Daley. I guess recklessness prevails sometimes.

Nick Diaz has had trouble with wrestlers in the past. He lost 3 in a row in 2006 to Sanchez,Riggs and Sherk. Nick also lost a split to Karo Parisyan in '04. Since his rise to fame in Strikeforce, he has never signed to fight a single wrestler. 5 strikers followed by his UFC re-debut against BJ Penn and a loss to Carlos Condit. Condit was also his first well rounded striker in years and he couldn't mount much of an offense in 25 minutes seeing as Carlos didn't stand in front of him. GSP will be the first wrestler he fought since '06 against Sean Sherk.

Georges St. Pierre, The current and most dominant Welterweight Champion ever seen in the UFC. Once fighting like a man possessed, with 14 fights and 10 early finishes, Matt Serra's come-from-behind upset victory changed him. After beating Serra in the rematch by TKO, he went on to have 6 of his next 7 fights go to the judges. He was so afraid to risk anything anymore that he traded in his arsenal for a lunging jab and a gymnastics class.

His wrestling is his main weapon these days. Georges' wrestling technique is so far above the competition that after the takedown is secured, you can guarantee yourself a couple minutes to grab something from the kitchen. His takedowns are nothing special though, it's all in his delivery, making you think you're in a striking match and then shooting on you. Diaz will not have a chance against GSP. Though he plays it safe nowadays, his arsenal of; lunging jabs, superman punches and spinning kicks, should pass the Diaz boxing test. If not, His wrestling will be more than enough to nullify Nick for a unanimous decision. This will be the best beat down GSP has ever given. Let's just hope Nick Diaz doesn't fail the Pre-fight drug test and shows up for the fight. This will prove he doesn't belong in the title picture at WW.
My Prediction : GSP takes this by unanimous decision.

Johny Hendricks VS Carlos Condit

Carlos Condit's striking GREATLY improved since his UFC debut. He began putting more power behind his punches, knocking out Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim in back to back wins early in the first round. He gave Georges St Pierre one of the toughest fights of his career in his last outing, won a Fight of the Night award for his performance, kept the best wrestler in the UFC away from side control and even knocked him down with a well placed head kick in the third.

Fear the beard! Johny Hendricks is the definition of one punch power. Known for knocking out Martin Kampmann and Jon Fitch in a combined 58 seconds. His only loss is a unanimous decision to Rick Story that showed holes in his wrestling game. Many thought he deserved a shot at GSP after those 58 seconds in the cage but it never came around. Instead, Johny has another obstacle in his path, Carlos Condit.
My Prediction : Carlos Condit takes this either by KO or a 1 sided unanimous decision.

Jake Ellenberger VS Nate Marquardt

Jake entered the UFC on a low note, losing a split decision to Carlos Condit. He rebounded by knocking out 4 of his next 6 opponents, including the never before finished Jake Shields, and developed a name for himself as a power puncher. Ellenberger goes for the knockout with every single punch he throws. This could be the reason he can't make it to round 3. He recently suffered a knockout loss at the hands of Martin Kampmann. After a succesful left hook knockdown followed by a barrage of punches, Ellenberger found himself on the receiving end of a guillotine choke attempt that lasted most of the round. Out of gas in round 2, Jake's punches didn't do as much damage. He may have bloodied Kampmann but eventually succumbed to some knees from the thai clinch ending this main event. He rebounded by redeeming one of his losses, beating Jay Heiron by unanimous decision.

Nate Marquardt is 2-2 in his last 4 fights, getting badly beat by Saffiedine and losing a close decison to Yushin Okami. He regained the spotlight with his win against Tyrone Woodley, acquiring the Strikeforce Welterweight Title. He was cut from the UFC for "failing medical requirements" and also popped for nandrolone in his original debut. Though Nate has issues with defending a strong wrestlers takedown, he has the tools to pull this off if he plays it safe, weathering the early storm and taking it into the later rounds. We will have to see if he passes the pre and post fight tests.
My Prediction : Jake Ellenberger finishes this with a TKO before Round 3

Carlos Condit's striking GREATLY improved since his UFC debut. He began putting more power behind his punches, knocking out Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim in back to back wins early in the first round. He gave Georges St Pierre one of the toughest fights of his career in his last outing, won a Fight of the Night award for his performance, kept the best wrestler in the UFC away from side control and even knocked him down with a well placed head kick in the third.

Fear the beard! Johny Hendricks is the definition of one punch power. Known for knocking out Martin Kampmann and Jon Fitch in a combined 58 seconds. His only loss is a unanimous decision to Rick Story that showed holes in his wrestling game. Many thought he deserved a shot at GSP after those 58 seconds in the cage but it never came around. Instead, Johny has another obstacle in his path, Carlos Condit.
My Prediction : Carlos Condit takes this either by KO or a 1 sided unanimous decision.

Good little write up on the fights. Not that i'm disagreeing with you, but i would factor in Carlos Condit being a WEC champ and not simply from his first UFC fight. He was a champion and has a champion mentality, such as when he kicked GSP an instinctually went for the g'n'p... but it also means his Kampmann loss wasn't a fluke or an anamoly, nor was his MacDonald fight. And his Hardy win... well... that's not that impressive.

Hendricks has fought Pierce, Kos, Story, Brenneman, Fitch... regardless of outcomes, he's fought the who's who of grapplers in the UFC WW division and come out with a solid record. His holes in his wrestling are probably a moot point. If anything his all around game plan beyond his big punch is an issue.

As far as your prediction, how or why do you think Hendricks get's ko'd? And you really see a 1 sided decision?

"Stockton Motherf***er!". The king of talking crap and the Stockton Slap, Nick Diaz. Rarely does a fighter coming off a loss get the opportunity to fight for the title, but when the iron is still hot you should probably strike.

Sporting a record of 26-8,Nick Diaz brawls like no other. He uses his famous Diaz boxing to get the job done,mixing in pot shots with the weak to surprise his opponent. In 2009, Frank Shamrock criticized Diaz boxing from the pre-fight interviews to the body shot that dropped him to the mat. If you ask him about it today, he'll praise the style.

The Stockton Native has no fear or common sense, Relentlessly attacking Paul Daley in a 2011 Strikeforce bout turned boxing match. Diaz punched his way to a TKO after getting dropped earlier in the round. Fighters with the high level ground game that Diaz possesses would NEVER stand with Daley. I guess recklessness prevails sometimes.

Nick Diaz has had trouble with wrestlers in the past. He lost 3 in a row in 2006 to Sanchez,Riggs and Sherk. Nick also lost a split to Karo Parisyan in '04. Since his rise to fame in Strikeforce, he has never signed to fight a single wrestler. 5 strikers followed by his UFC re-debut against BJ Penn and a loss to Carlos Condit. Condit was also his first well rounded striker in years and he couldn't mount much of an offense in 25 minutes seeing as Carlos didn't stand in front of him. GSP will be the first wrestler he fought since '06 against Sean Sherk.

Georges St. Pierre, The current and most dominant Welterweight Champion ever seen in the UFC. Once fighting like a man possessed, with 14 fights and 10 early finishes, Matt Serra's come-from-behind upset victory changed him. After beating Serra in the rematch by TKO, he went on to have 6 of his next 7 fights go to the judges. He was so afraid to risk anything anymore that he traded in his arsenal for a lunging jab and a gymnastics class.

His wrestling is his main weapon these days. Georges' wrestling technique is so far above the competition that after the takedown is secured, you can guarantee yourself a couple minutes to grab something from the kitchen. His takedowns are nothing special though, it's all in his delivery, making you think you're in a striking match and then shooting on you. Diaz will not have a chance against GSP. Though he plays it safe nowadays, his arsenal of; lunging jabs, superman punches and spinning kicks, should pass the Diaz boxing test. If not, His wrestling will be more than enough to nullify Nick for a unanimous decision. This will be the best beat down GSP has ever given. Let's just hope Nick Diaz doesn't fail the Pre-fight drug test and shows up for the fight. This will prove he doesn't belong in the title picture at WW.
My Prediction : GSP takes this by unanimous decision.

" The King of talking crap…." Must have never heard Diaz speak. I'll give you a quick run down of every Diaz interview/trash talk session….

Good little write up on the fights. Not that i'm disagreeing with you, but i would factor in Carlos Condit being a WEC champ and not simply from his first UFC fight. He was a champion and has a champion mentality, such as when he kicked GSP an instinctually went for the g'n'p... but it also means his Kampmann loss wasn't a fluke or an anamoly, nor was his MacDonald fight. And his Hardy win... well... that's not that impressive.

Hendricks has fought Pierce, Kos, Story, Brenneman, Fitch... regardless of outcomes, he's fought the who's who of grapplers in the UFC WW division and come out with a solid record. His holes in his wrestling are probably a moot point. If anything his all around game plan beyond his big punch is an issue.

As far as your prediction, how or why do you think Hendricks get's ko'd? And you really see a 1 sided decision?

I think that Condit has far more tools than him and can avoid the big punch...which is what I think Hendricks will rely on